It is indispensable to keep watching rapid developments of the high-tech industry worldwide.

Friday, December 3, 2010

No. 206: Wheelchair vehicle from Japan (December 4, 2010)

A company that designs cars and motorcycles has been developing a wheelchair vehicle for the past one year in cooperation with rehabilitation centers. The company is YDS in Kanagawa Prefecture. The newly-developed wheelchair vehicle is scheduled to be put on the market next spring. It is an electric three-wheeler designed for wheelchair users. You can ride on this wheelchair vehicle with your wheelchair and enjoy wind while you are riding it. The wheelchair vehicle can make a maximum speed of 40 km per hour. It mounts two lithium-ion batteries that you can recharge using home electric outlet. Four hours’ recharging allows the wheelchair vehicle to run for about 50 km. You can ride it on by lifting the lever to fix your wheelchair. You can get on easily without assistance. You need a driver’s license to ride it. The price is scheduled to be between 500,000 and 600,000 yen a unit.